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Galaxy Z Fold SE may have done the impossible and fixed a big problem with foldables

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4 weeks ago

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Galaxy Z Fold SE may have done the impossible and fixed a big problem with foldables

When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 this summer, I only needed a few seconds to realize that it had the same problem as every other Samsung foldable: A crease down the middle of the display where it folds.

We’ve seen and felt the crease for years, and we’ve accepted it because it’s the only way to make foldable phones right now. That might be one reason why Apple hasn’t yet released a foldable iPhone. The crease is a design flaw that impacts the look of the phone as well as the user experience.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 have less pronounced creases than their predecessors. But you can still see and feel the crease. I wasn’t expecting Samsung to improve the crease significantly in the near future, but I might have been wrong. The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition (SE) foldable that Samsung just unveiled in Korea apparently features an almost crease-less design.

I haven’t seen the screen in person, so I haven’t been able to inspect it closely or feel it. Remember that the Galaxy Z Fold SE is a limited edition phone. It’ll be available in Korea first, and Samsung should launch it in China next. It’s unlikely that it will reach any other markets this year.

That’s why we’ve only seen press renders of the Galaxy Fold SE so far. Press renders for foldable phones usually show no creasing. But the first hands-on images and videos are now coming in, teasing big improvements to Samsung’s foldable design.

Samsung insider Ice Universe shared real images of the Galaxy Z Fold SE, as seen above. The crease running along the middle of the screen should be visible in the middle. Yet I can’t see any traces of it.

Sure, the wallpaper choice might be helping matters, but this is a remarkable achievement. Here’s what the creases look like on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6:

Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6: The crease is visible. Image source: Chris Smith, BGR

Then there’s the following Galaxy Z Fold SE video with clips from hands-on videos from Korea. It’s hard to get a clear look at the crease in most clips, which is a good thing. However, if the angle is just right, the crease is still visible, but less so than on the regular Fold 6:

Apparently, Samsung fixed the crease by using a punch-hole camera instead of an under-panel camera for the foldable screen. Also, the Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) covering the OLED panel might feature a different design. It might be thicker on the left and right halves but thinner in the middle, where the display creases.

Samsung is yet to address these improvements, however. I said recently that Samsung now has to bring the Galaxy Z Fold SE’s thin design to next year’s Fold 7. Anything else would be a disappointment. If the Fold SE’s crease looks as good as in these early photos and videos, Samsung must pass this design detail to the Fold 7.

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